If you’ve seen these two on-screen, you might assume their differences to
be greater than their similarities. From her breakthrough role on "My So-Called
Life" through attention-grabbing turns in William Shakespeare’s Romeo
+ Juliet and Igby Goes Down, Danes, 26, has projected an elegance, maturity and
emotional depth beyond her years. Meanwhile, Schwartzman, 25, has anchored his
less extensive career by playing restless misfits – such as in Rushmore and
I (heart) Huckabees.

Yet these two, whose off-screen rapport is far easier than the awkward relationship
between her introverted clerk and his slacker in Shopgirl, are bound by more than
just traveling in the same fab circles. Both have pursued other artistic outlets
– she as a dancer, he as a rock drummer – only to rededicate themselves
to acting.

They also both grew up in artistically inclined families.

Danes’ parents are artists, having met at the Rhode Island School of Design
and pursued photography (him) and textile design (her).

Schwartzman’s mother is actress Talia Shire (Rocky, The Godfather), sister
of director Francis Ford Coppola. His cousins include Sofia Coppola and Nicolas
Cage, and his first acting experience came as a 15-year-old Sofia cast him in
her adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald story Bernice Bobs Her Hair, which they
performed in a barn.

Earlier this year Schwartzman was directed by Sofia Coppola again, but this time
at Versailles for her upcoming movie Marie-Antoinette, in which he plays Louis
XVI.

Danes wound up learning the "method" from the Lee Strasburg Theater
Institute, performed in student films, got an agent at age 12, moved to Los Angeles
with her family and her career took off.

"I had gotten a lot of success and had no idea what to do with it,"
she said. "Really, no clue. I didn’t know what movies I wanted to see,
really, never mind what movies I wanted to make. I didn’t know if I was acting
out of habit or genuine desire."

So she attended Yale University for a couple of years.

"I needed to know that I could exist outside of the industry, too, and I
did," she said. "I can. I’ll be fine if it all goes away, and I
really know that. I internalize that, and I think that’s protected me. So
yeah, then lo and behold I wasn’t doing it out of habit. I was doing it out
of genuine desire, and I am doing it again."

Schwartzman’s career crossroads came as his band, Phantom Planet, was on
the rise; it performs the theme song to the TV series "The O.C." Schwartzman,
who had focused more on music than acting after his acclaimed debut in Rushmore,
said he felt in his gut that he had to leave the band behind.

"Shortly after that [I decided] I need to focus on acting right now,"
he said. "I made those two decisions, and then all of a sudden I (heart)
Huckabees came into the world. Now there’s no question, I pursue acting;
that’s it. But I must play music and listen to music every day or else I
go crazy."

Meanwhile, Danes performed a full-length dance piece, "Christina Olson: American
Model," last month in New York. But otherwise the two actors and friends
finally can say they have their eyes on the same prize.

"We want to make good movies," Danes said. "I don’t think
either of us wants to only jiggle our [breasts]." She cracked up.

"Never been in the same sentence with that phrase before," Schwartzman
noted.

How did it feel?

"Oddly comfortable," he said before the two once again dissolved into
laughter.